How do you do a water change neatly?

HB AL

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Personally, I've been siphoning out around 10 to 15 gallons of my 90 gal tank into buckets, dump them in bathtub, then AC pump it back in to the display.

Doing this obviously causes my tank to become cloudy, disrupt my sand bed, and stress my inhabitants.

What do you guys do to lessen the blow of a water change?
I just do NO water changes, ever.
 

czoolander

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I'm a 23 year old 5'7 Boi maybe 5'8 if you don't call my bluff with a canopy. Lol
Not sure what a boi is? at 23 I would say your a young man but anyway yeah you know the struggle its heavy haha I am looking to get a return pump system in from my mixing bucket .

I just always did bucket in bucket out but why work hard when you can work smart right ? haha
 
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BuddyBonButt

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Not sure what a boi is? at 23 I would say your a young man but anyway yeah you know the struggle its heavy haha I am looking to get a return pump system in from my mixing bucket .

I just always did bucket in bucket out but why work hard when you can work smart right ? haha
I purchased a used system. Like EVERYTHING you need drilled tank, sump, return pump, skimmer, stand, canopy, glass tops, uv sterilizer, powerhead for $300 lol

I bought a new return so I use the old one to pump out from a brute but it's a hard jet stream that stirs stuff up. Don't like to keep doing that but even for this strapping young MAN I'd rather not remove the canopy and glass tops and lift it over my head. Smarter is always my go to
 

reaper93

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For my big tanks I use a python to take the water out into my sink and then a maxijet pump in a brute can of saltwater to put back into tank.

On my 5g I just siphon out 1g into a 1g distilled water container and use that same container to fill the tank back up.
 

ScubaFish802

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I’d do this but I can’t get a siphon going because of how low to the ground my sump obviously is, and I refuse to suck on it like a gas pipe
Check out “siphon bulb” on Amazon :)
You can get a plastic one for around $10, will make your life easier haha
https://a.co/d/6PnyElb
3A06D1D1-AEEF-4E79-AF3F-DFD2C9669A43.png
 

laezur

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Check out “siphon bulb” on Amazon :)
You can get a plastic one for around $10, will make your life easier haha
https://a.co/d/6PnyElb
3A06D1D1-AEEF-4E79-AF3F-DFD2C9669A43.png
Of course they have a product for this, there’s a product for everything how did I not think to look. Thank you!
 

Captmcfly

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Dos only way to go. I mix 30 gallons in my brute then use the dose to do 5 or 10 gallons a week. Spaced out over 24 hrs. Hose from sump first chamber to house main drain, hose from 30gal brute to sump return pump area
 

Floyd-

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The top line is where the water level in the DT is with the pumps off.
The bottom line is 10% so I know when to stop :) No need to measure how much I'm taking.

IMG_3008.jpeg
I also have marks on my tank for pumps off, and then in 5gal increments up to 20 gallons for a 10% change for my nearly 200 gallon tank.
I just place a small pump into the display and pump out into the sink then place the pump into my brute can and pump into the display again.

To get my marks on the tank I measured taking 5 gallon jugs worth out and marking it as I went.
 

SPS2020

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I press a button on the Apex and let the DOS do the rest. I run a small silicone hose from the DOS into the shower drain and roll it up when finished.
 

Captmcfly

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I press a button on the Apex and let the DOS do the rest. I run a small silicone hose from the DOS into the shower drain and roll it up when finished.
If possible t tap it with your rodi drain and you will never look back! Every water change I do I think how could anyone do it any other way lol. It’s the primary reason most of my previous tanks have come down . The hardest thing I do is mix salt water. And that’s just me adding the salt after I let the brute fill up.
 

Starry77

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I am siphoning into 5 gallon buckets and then dumping 5 gallon back into the display. Now for how many years can I maintain this ? haha its heavy lifting 40lbs over your head and slowly holding it there for a slow pour x 5 or 6 buckets. Helps being 6'4 but still its rough
Next to my 70 gallon tank I have a 29 gallon one on a cabinet, empty between changes. Got it used for $40. I pump or gravel cleaning siphon into it, and then siphon out down a 50 foot plastic tube to bathtub. Then I reverse that, use a hose from outside tap (no water softening) and fill the 29 gallons. I add water conditioner (gets rid of chlorine) from API or Amquel+. Then I adjust temperature in winter and spring only with stove heated water, and pump over to the 70 gallon tank. Takes a couple hours, no lifting. I do that every two weeks. Keeps 3 dozen small fish happy. I am 6'3" but at 77-1/2, I don't lift big buckets, just 2 gallon ones now and then.
 

Starry77

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I am siphoning into 5 gallon buckets and then dumping 5 gallon back into the display. Now for how many years can I maintain this ? haha its heavy lifting 40lbs over your head and slowly holding it there for a slow pour x 5 or 6 buckets. Helps being 6'4 but still its rough
Next to my 70 gallon tank I have a 29 gallon one on a cabinet, empty between changes. Got it used for $40. (If I use that for fishes, I will switch to a 33 gallon plastic trash can.) I pump or gravel cleaning siphon into it, and then siphon out down a $16 half inch plastic tube to bathtub. Then I reverse that, use a hose from outside tap (no water softening) and fill the 29 gallons. I add water conditioner (gets rid of chlorine) from API or Amquel+. Then I adjust temperature in winter and spring only with stove heated water, and pump over to the 70 gallon tank. Takes a couple hours, no lifting. I do that every two weeks. Keeps 3 dozen small fish happy. I am 6'3" but at 77-1/2, I don't lift big buckets, just 2 gallon ones now and then to refill from evaporation.
 

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